Reclassifying Viruses as Living?

[Frederick W. Schueler]

Walter Boeger wrote:

>  viruses originated after "life", from "LIFE".  Now, if the concept one uses for LIFE imposes that virus is NOT alive (ex. metabolism, ability to self-replicate), we still have to assume that the viruses originated from a LIVING ancestral organism (assuming a monophyletic origin)!  This is an awkward idea to me: NON-LIFE originating from LIFE!
>
> Finally, the concept of life, in my opinion, must be associated to evolution ..if it evolves, it is alive!

* that's hitting the nail on the head, in my opinon. Until we got here
this whole discussion took me back to junior high school in the 1950's
with its elaborate physiological definitions of life. Is life the
business of churning out some particular class of chemicals, or the
business of leaving descendants?

fred.
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